Extraction
by Casa Circe
Summary: LOTURA WEEK 2018, Day Seven: Free Day. Allura wasn't sure what she would find there, who she would find there, but all she knew was that she could not leave him behind again.


**LOTURA WEEK 2018 Day 7**

 **Free Day**

 _ **Extraction**_

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender.

 **NOTE:**

 _I made it through Lotura Week! It's been a real rollercoaster ride of emotions. I started the week having only watched season 5, finished season 6 halfway through and got mixed emotions, and after a reading a few great metas about the pairing, I'm back on board. I've never been one for easy ships anyway so I think I'm in my element._

 _I'm convinced that Lotor will make a comeback next season and, whether or not Lotura happens, Allura will play a role in that rescue. But, I still ship it so I have hope for them both._

 _Enjoy and please let me know what you think!_

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Allura felt a sharp pain in her heart when she finally found him, a small figure huddled in a corner of his ship. She had spent hours searching in the quintessence field but when Lotor's ship cam in sight, she raced towards it.

He was hugging his knees and he had buried his head in his arms. She approached him carefully, trying to ignore the savage beating of her heart. He seemed to sense her presence.

"Lotor," she said softly.

He looked up and the expression on his face made her freeze.

Gone was the madness of power that had made him fight against Voltron and reveal his darkest self. Gone too was the smiling, gentle face that had won her heart. He was a shadow of his old self, his eyes sunken and cheeks pale, as if his time in the rift had aged him centuries. He looked haggard and exhausted. He seemed almost dead.

"Allura?" he said in a voice the princess recognized. There was fear and uncertainty in his tone and she tried to suppress her tears from flowing.

"No, impossible," he said, shaking his head, "You're not really here. You're just another vision sent to torment me… She would never come back for me."

At these words, Allura rushed towards him and took his hands in hers. He tried to pull away but she held them firmly.

"I'm really here," she told him reassuringly, "And I have come back for you."

"After everything you think I did?" he asked gravely.

Allura nodded. "We were too hasty before," she admitted sadly, "I should have let you explain first. This is another chance."

"And why should I explain myself to you?" he said bitterly, "You wouldn't listen to me before."

"I'm listening now," Allura replied softly.

But she already knew the truth and she told him all of it now.

It had filled her with guilt when she learned that they had all judged him too harshly. After the fight, the team had found out the true nature of the other colony. There had been no harmful experiments. The preserved Alteans had not been taken for quintessence harvesting. They had been preserved, while some kind of cure could be found for them.

"We had not given you a chance then," she said ruefully, "But I'm here to get you out of this horrible place, to try and make amends."

For a moment, there was hope in his eyes but Lotor quickly looked skeptical. "You never really trusted me."

"That's not true!" Allura protested me, "I trusted you with all my heart, even when my mind was telling me not to, even when everyone around me had warned me against you. I followed my instincts because they told me that you were genuine."

"And what are those excellent instincts telling you now?" Lotor asked, with more curiosity than anger.

"That I should never have doubted you," Allura replied, tears falling down her cheeks, "That I should have followed my heart. I'm so sorry."

Lotor's expression softened. "I should be begging your forgiveness. I allowed myself to succumb to my father's weakness. I went mad and I fought against you."

"It was the quintessence," Allura protested.

Lotor shook his head. "That would be too convenient an excuse," he replied, "I should have fought against it. I should not have allowed it to cloud my judgment. If I have suffered here, that is my own doing."

Allura took his face in her hands and made him face her. "Well, you have been here long enough," she said gently.

"Perhaps it's best that you leave me here," Lotor said uncertainly, "You cannot risk me destroying everything you've worked for."

"I am not leaving here without you," Allura said firmly.

He stared at her in surprise and then his expression turned to gratitude. There was the man she remembered, there was the man she loved.

Slowly, the princess leaned towards him until their foreheads touched. She began to glow with the power of Altean alchemy that she had gained after their journey to Oriande.

At length, she pulled back slightly and looked at him with a questioning expression. He nodded and so she pulled his face towards hers until their lips touched. He kissed her back and they both felt Oriande's healing light flow through them.


End file.
